By Wasim Jamal
The rapid advance of technology in the contemporary era has fundamentally reshaped traditional notions of employment, giving rise to an expanding informal economy commonly referred to as the gig economy. Across Pakistan and much of the world, millions of young people are now engaged with digital platforms such as ride-hailing and delivery services, or working independently as freelancers. In global terminology, they are increasingly described as “digital platform workers” — individuals who spend long hours navigating public roads in harsh conditions or working behind screens to sustain the momentum of modern economies.
Despite their growing contribution to economic activity, one of the central paradoxes of this emerging labour force is its continued exclusion from formal legal recognition. Unlike traditional factory or office-based employment, platform workers have largely operated without written contracts, social security coverage, pensions or access to healthcare protections. Their working lives have often been defined by precarity, including the abrupt suspension of accounts by companies without prior notice or transparent justification, leaving them with little recourse or institutional protection.
Against this backdrop, a significant development has emerged from Geneva, where the International Labour Organization convened its 114th annual conference in June 2026. Representatives of governments, employers and labour organisations jointly adopted what is being described as a landmark international framework: ILO Convention No. 193. It is the first global instrument specifically designed to safeguard the rights of digital and platform-based workers.
At its core, the convention seeks to address long-standing structural imbalances within the gig economy. It obliges digital platforms to prevent economic exploitation and establishes the principle of fair remuneration, including minimum baseline standards for pay in line with labour input and rising global inflation. The aim, according to its framing, is to ensure a more stable standard of living for riders, drivers and other platform workers whose incomes have historically fluctuated without protection.
One of the most contentious issues in the sector has been the unilateral deactivation of worker accounts, often triggered by customer complaints or automated systems. The new framework requires companies to provide written justification in cases of account suspension and guarantees workers the right to appeal such decisions. Crucially, it also mandates human oversight in review processes, reducing reliance on algorithmic systems that have frequently been criticised for opacity and inconsistency.
The convention also addresses the growing role of algorithmic governance in labour allocation and performance evaluation. Digital platforms routinely use proprietary systems to determine incentives, ratings and job distribution. Under the new rules, companies are expected to increase transparency around these systems, ensuring that workers are informed about how decisions affecting their livelihoods are made.
Perhaps most significantly, the convention recognises the right of platform workers to organise collectively. It affirms their ability to form unions, engage in collective bargaining, and participate in structured negotiations with companies — rights long associated with traditional industrial labour but often absent in the digital economy.
The question now facing countries such as Pakistan is whether such a framework will be translated into domestic law. In principle, adoption of an ILO convention does not automatically render it enforceable within national jurisdictions. Rather, it requires formal ratification by the state, followed by legislative amendments to align domestic labour laws with international commitments.
If ratified, Pakistan would be obliged to incorporate these protections into its legal and regulatory architecture, extending enforceable rights to millions of gigs and digital workers operating within its economy. The implications would be far-reaching, particularly in a labour market increasingly dependent on platform-based services.
Ultimately, Convention 193 represents a potentially historic shift in global labour governance. It seeks to provide legal identity and institutional protection to a segment of the workforce that has grown rapidly yet remained structurally vulnerable. Whether it achieves meaningful change, however, will depend on political will, regulatory enforcement, and the willingness of states to adapt labour frameworks to the realities of a digitised economy.
For Pakistan in particular, the challenge is immediate and practical. Policymakers, labour organisations and workers themselves now face a critical juncture: whether to accelerate the ratification process and ensure that digital labour is no longer left outside the protections of the law, but integrated into a more stable and equitable employment system.
(The writer is Director of Public Relations at the Training and Research Institute, SESSI, and is also an active member of civil society, consistently raising his voice for the rights and welfare of the working class. He can be reached at editorial@metro-morning.com)
